Page 33 of Intense
“Tell Drago I’ll be stopping by his later.”
Charlotte flashes a knowing smile. Drago’s her best friend. Her savior, really. And I know she’s happy we’re accepting him in the family. He’s proven to be useful. Loyal. And the only one in the room right now who can handle my kind of chaos.
When they leave, Declan slouches into the chair across from me. I take a sip of Dad’s whiskey and let it scorch its way down my throat.
“I need filling in, Finn. I know you like your secrets, but we’ve gotta be on the same page now.”
I nod. He’s not wrong. He’s the eldest. The boss. But even bosses get tired of blood on their hands.
“What do you want to know?” I ask.
“Why were you arrested?”
I shrug.
“Until I speak to Drago, I can’t confirm. My gut says this is retaliation for killing one of The Preacher’s men in Ohio.”
Declan’s jaw tightens. “The Preacher?”
Exactly my point. He doesn’t know. Not yet.
“Yes, brother. The Preacher. One of the contestants in Conan’s games—Abigail— warned me. But I had no choice. Enzo gave the name. You know the rules. So I took Reggie and Rowan, made it look like suicide. But who ever got me arrested? They wanted me to know I’m not untouchable. That they can find me anywhere. Even at work.”
Declan spins the rings on his fingers, processing.
“And you don’t think it’s Arthur?”
I shake my head.
“Arthur’s neck-deep in war with the Kings. We’ve already wiped out all of Bowen’s men here. This… this is different. We’ve got more than one enemy now.”
Declan swallows hard.
I rest my foot on my knee, letting the weight of my body lean into the conversation.
“What do we know about this Preacher?” he asks.
“Look, Declan. I love you. But right now? I don’t have the full picture. I just need permission to act on behalf of the family.”
I stare him down. Waiting.
His jaw ticks, eyes meeting mine. There’s still steel in him. He hasn’t gone soft, not entirely.
“I trust you, Finn. Just keep me in the loop, okay? And if you need me, I’ll be there.”
I scratch at the stubble on my jaw.
“Your kids need their dad, like we needed ours.”
He narrows his eyes.
“That isn’t how this works. I’m not stepping down. I’ll fight to protect this family—which includes you. So yeah, you’ve got my permission to deal with Arthur and The Preacher. But you’re not getting yourself killed. We do this together.”
I tap my thigh, absorbing it.
“Okay. Then first, I’m going after a man in Pennsylvania with links to The Preacher. I want him tortured. If he talks, great.If not, he dies. But I need to see what Drago found from the hospital. The patient I’m accused of killing? Died from surgery complications. Still, the CCTV was wiped. I need to know who has the skill to do that.”
Declan nods.
